The first half of the Pac-12 basketball season is nearing a close, something both Oregon and USC are looking forward to.
The Trojans currently sit 11th in the conference after starting 1-7 against Pac-12 foes and have lost two straight nail biters, both in overtime. First year head coach Andy Enfield has struggled to find success with his new squad, which features four transfers. The team is shooting just 29.8 percent on three pointers and has a conference-worst turnover margin at negative 2.7. USC doesn’t do anything particularly well and has been especially bad on the road this season, winning one of seven games.
The Trojans are led by junior Byron Wesley. The 6-foot-5 guard leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game and has been one of few consistent shooters. Wesley oddly leads the team in rebounding, as well. With 6.9 boards per game, Wesley pulls down more rebounds than seven-footers D.J. Haley and Omar Oraby. The lack of a consistent team rebounding effort is one reason why USC has struggled this season, as is poor free throw shooting (66.1 percent) and the fact that they’ve been outscored by 2.6 points per game.
The aforementioned Oraby is a 7-foot-2 senior who transferred from Rice and averages a team-high 2.5 blocked shots per game. The native of Egypt was granted a hardship waiver last season.
The Ducks are also coming off an overtime loss, their sixth in conference play. After starting out 13-0, Oregon finds itself 10th in the Pac-12 and can’t seem to figure out how to right the ship.
The Ducks shoot well from the field and the free throw line. They’re fourth in the nation in points per game. But defense has been a huge weakness.
And it’s been well-documented. The losses of Tony Woods, Arsalan Kazemi and E.J. Singler have negatively affected the interior defense of this team in more ways than anyone could have fathomed. Perhaps the transfer-laden roster isn’t meshing as well as Dana Altman thought it would. Either way, Oregon is performing way under its capabilities.
Joseph Young’s scoring has cooled off a bit since the start of conference play, but he’s been automatic from the charity stripe, knocking down 44 of 45 free throws through eight games. Senior Jason Calliste has been Oregon’s breakout bench player, averaging 12.1 points per game in conference play and shooting lights out from the field (53.2 percent) and from beyond the arc (48.4 percent).
The Ducks have yet to record a Pac-12 win at home but will have another chance Saturday evening at Matthew Knight Arena. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd